After the first shoot, Hannah put together a plan on what/how the film was going to be structured together. Here I'm going to quote her structure idea, and include my cinematographic notes, whether I like/dislike, offer changes or ideas myself:
'Scene 1: The first scene is going to be establishing shots of the outside of the refuge, as it's surrounded by fields, this will show how isolated and quiet it is just outside the refuge and we will shoot in the early morning to show it's the start of the day'
Here, I feel it would be nice to get a sunrise shot over the fields, maybe see a lone tractor harvesting in the distance, an empty (or quiet) road, signify quiet, isolation. A pan from the fields to the Pet Refuge sign as a link to the introduction of the piece. Some nice long/establishing shots of the location.
'Scene 2: This scene starts in the monkey kitchen, where we will see Toni chopping up fruit & vegetables for the monkey bowls. We will interview Toni whilst she is doing this to find out a bit of information about herself and her time and role at the refuge. The camera will then follow her as she walks down the monkey corridor and feeds the monkeys. The interview will then move on to the animals, and will be asking her about some of the monkeys and their backgrounds, particularly the ones with the sadder pasts, like the one who was kept in a concrete hide built during the war and the one who was trained to smoke. Included will be lots of shots of the monkeys and Toni interacting with him as she feeds them. This scene will mainly consist of mid-shots and close-ups of Toni and the animals to help the audience engage with them and get fully absorbed into their stories and the emotion.'
I feel to capture this scene successfully, it would be key to have more than one camera operator. I'd like to capture the static mid-shot for the interview, however have another camera for close ups, following around on moving scenes, follow the animals when they move and so forth. I think it would be near impossible with just one operator. I'd like to capture a lot of shots of what the food actually is, close up of hands chopping food, close up of Toni's face as she moves and talks about the animals to capture the emotion, and also want the steady m/s which captures the entire frame, so you don't miss out on something out of frame. Lighting maybe necessary in the monkey corridors, dependent on the time, however lighting should be taken just in case. There should be a range of shots, L/S, M/S close up etc. to capture a range of views on the animals, you want to see close ups of their faces, (e.g. when we saw Cinders with a blanket, seeing it in a close up captures emotion, whereas a Long shot wouldn't have the same effect.)
'Scene 3: This scene will focus on Pam and her animals which is the birds, mainly Parrots. It will be similar to the previous scene with shots of Pam feeding the Parrots and telling us a bit about herself and the animals with the interesting stories. Pam is quite close with some of the Parrots so this will make for some nice shots of her with the Parrots sat on her and hopefully talking as there is one that can talk. Again there will be a mixture of mid-shots and close-ups as this will be in-keeping with the feel of the documentary.'
Similar to my notes above, however, more focus on lighting equipment. If we're inside, we may need support from a Kino Flo or Dedo to ensure a well-lit set-up, as we don't want too much difference in light between the shots, therefore (even though we need to remain natural) need to ensure we don't cause too much exposure outside and too little light inside. Once again, I'd like to have two camera set-ups, one for the static and one for the movement and close up shots. I'd like to explore some research before deciding on a specific style within the work.
'Scene 4: Darren, Pam's son, will be the focus of this scene and his animals are the reptiles. hopefully he will be feeding the alligator at the time of the shoot but if not we can use feeding the large Python or the Wolves instead. We will start his interview outside his caravan where he lives on the site as next to it is a half built house which will be his but will not be finished until next winter. This will be good to show as it shows that it is not just the animals that have it hard but the people as well. It also shows the animals come first, they have food, shelter and warmth while the owners go without. We will then follow him into the reptile house and use the GoPro to get intimate shots of him feeding the alligator and telling us it's story as well'
The reptile house may also require some lighting equipment due to being an interior location, which is lit by warm yellow lights, so I would like to loan a kino and dedo with some filters to be on the safe side. The idea of the GoPro seems like a fantastic idea, to get up and personal where we can't be, and therefore something the audience won't have seen so close before (in regard to the refuge). The idea of starting the interview outside his caravan is good because it's personal. It's outside where he lives, which is still at the refuge, which shows the audience his dedication/the fact that the refuge is a 24-hour, 7-day a week responsibility. In regard to shots, I agree with the idea of the GoPro, and the location of the introduction of Darren, two camera set-ups. Showing Darren working whilst he explains how the animals come first in regard to something like heating will help answer the question of 'why should we care what happens to the animals' we were given in our brief. I'd like a range of shots once again, to capture him working, being stressed as well as his interview shots to intertwine with.
'Scene 5: This scene will be the day coming to an end and will show each person at the end of the day. We will film Toni having a glass of wine stood with Cinders, one of the most friendly and charismatic monkey's at the refuge, a shot taken from outside Pam's house looking in at her sat ith the animals, and then Darren inside his caravan with his girlfriend and all their dogs sat around them. The purpose of this is not only to signify the end of the day but also that it never really ends for them because the animals are their lives and as well as having loads of animals at the refuge, they all have their own animals that live inside with them as well'
I do agree with the structure set up Hannah has created. I feel that the ending is meaningful and emotional at the same time, and would show how important this refuge is. In regard to the cinematography, Hannah has pointed a lot of shots she would like to see, such as Cinders and Toni, which would be great in a L/S changing to a M/S or C/U of the two together. The Pam shot is questioned, just because of the windows in her house (they are quite faded, in the sense that they aren't very clear, so we may run into problems, however we can always do it through the patio, or just inside the house through an open window, it doesn't make this shot impossible in any sense. The one with Darren and all the dogs may need lighting, being an interior (caravan) but may be difficult and dangerous with dogs everywhere, therefore maybe important that both myself and Hannah create a risk assessment especially for this location.
I'm very excited about the style and structure that Hannah aims to complete, and I feel that it's something I can do and make my own in my own style and ideas without changing the aim. I look forward to seeing this structure form in the near future.
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